* Perimeter Shooting: The Blue Hens boast a stable of quality shooters on their roster, and as a result, their team 3-pt shooting (.383) ranks # 40 in the nation. Allen, who recently returned from a 2-month foot injury, was re-inserted into the starting lineup and immediately started knocking down jumpers from deep. Horton, whose spot Allen took in the lineup, has attempted a team-leading 90 threes and knocked down 36. Meanwhile, stretch-4's Veretto and Cushing spend most of their time outside of the paint and cause problems for opposing defenses.

* Eric Carter: Carter deserves his own space, as he is averaging a double-double so far this season. With 7 double-doubles on the season, he ranks t-14th in the nation in the category. His opponent, Cacok, has 8, which puts him in a tie for 5th. Carter has also gotten to the line an astounding 115 times this season, placing him t-14th in the nation. This will make for a highly entertaining matchup in the middle on Thursday night.

* Overall Offensive Efficiency: Between their ranking on Ken Pomeroy's site (# 159) and team shooting percentage of .465 (# 108 in the nation), its clear that the Blue Hens maximize their possessions. By looking for easy buckets in the paint or kicking out to open shooters, they're doing what they need to do on offense to keep themselves in a lot of games. This should sustain them as a top 4-6 team in the league all season long.

Team Weaknesses

* Perimeter Defense: On the other side of the coin, Delaware defends the three poorly, ranking # 255 in 3-point % Defense (.353). Opponents are hoisting up more threes (23.5 per game) than the Hens are (21.9). The presence of Carter in the middle probably makes that an easy decision for teams as they try to attack Delaware's biggest weakness.

* Depth: The Blue Hens were very happy to get Allen back, and not just for his skillset. Beyond the starting 5 and 6th man, the Hens fail to impress. The 6-11 Goss, who will be the likely successor to Carter at the Center position next season, needs to make major strides here in his Junior season, and thus far has only had marginal success. Meanwhile, the Hens don't seem to have a trustworthy backup point guard at the moment, and thus have handed Anderson a gaudy 35.4 minutes per contest. Bryant has also averaged 35.2 minutes at the 3rd guard spot, another area weak in depth. Any foul trouble whatsoever, which to Delaware's credit they've mostly avoided this season, and they're in trouble in any individual contest.

* Overall Defensive Efficiency: As Ken Pomeroy's ranking displays (# 321), Delaware has not done a good job at all in overall defense based on the relatively weak schedule they've played thus far. Their 80-65 loss to Navy, 73-71 loss to a terrible Delaware State squad and 91-46 loss to Hofstra are the primary examples of their defense getting exposed against varying levels of competition. The Seahawks are well-equipped to exploit the Blue Hen defense as well, especially when the Hens have to go to the bench and face UNCW's strong second unit.

For what it's worth, here I present my analysis of the key points of emphasis vs Delaware:

1. CARTER IS THE KEY. (Which means Cacock is also the key). Team Post Up stats are among their most efficient as they score at a rate ff almost 1 PPP. Carter has an adjusted FG % of 61%. Cacock's ability to defend without fouling is obviously important. I do not believe that outside of Defensive Rebounding he has done enough to merit a selection as a member of the ALL DEFENSIVE TEAM. I suspect that Delaware/Carter will go hard at him early.

2. PICK & ROLL DEFENSE. Passes going to the Pick & Roll Man (Roll guy) are extremely efficient translating to almost 1.2 PPP. However, the number of possessions is small since most teams so far have prioritized the roll man. Pick & Roll Handler is less efficient but when ANDERSON is the one attacking he has scored nearly 1 point on all possessions. Since he is the primary ball handler, and a suitable backup is absent, he should be a point of emphasis in game planning.

3.CUTTING. Most troublesome, and mark my words, the Nationally ranked 8th team in this category will cause problems for the Hawks. As far as I have seen so far the only team to present any challenge to UNCW in terms of off ball cutting has been Davidson and they did not fare well in terms of keeping that team to a low point total. I am not talking about cuts where the receiver just makes a layup but rather cuts where the defense helps on the cut freeing up another player who gets open as a result. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Hawks are one of the worst teams in terms of off ball defensive IQ.

4. POTENT OFFENSE BUT BELOW AVERAGE DEFENSE. As they say, "Ball Don't Lie." Well neither do defensive stats. The Hens rank near the bottom of the NCAA as a team (#294 to UNCW's #331 as of today). To put it in layman's terms, 'They cannot defend the Post, defend in transition or any DHO (Dribble Hand Off). The only thing worse according to SYNERGY is their defense versus the Pick & Roll Handler. This means TOEWS. If he is aggressive and looking to score IF Delaware decides to stay with shooters instead of help, which I suspect will be the norm from here on, then he will have a lot of opportunity to prove he can finish or get to the FTL (Free Throw Line). He is almost a 80% FT guy.

5. TRASK. These guys have been on the road. The last time they were at home there were no students. They have momentum. Delaware knows this is a 'prove it to the non-believers' kind of game. As far as big games go this early in the Conference schedule this is HUGE! Big for the Hens but absolutely HUGE for the home team. The season certainly does not depend on this game, however, I can imagine that a win at home will do enough to repair the confidence loss this team suffered in the Non-Conference schedule and restore a little 'swag' to UNCW Basketball going forward.

Personally, it is my hope that everybody gets behind this team for this game because that's what true fans do. Especially considering we have seen a very abrupt change in the 'tone' of posts on this Discussion Board going from 'Doom & Gloom' to 'Let's All Drink the Kool-Aid' in the last 3 weeks.

1. CARTER IS THE KEY. (Which means Cacock is also the key). Team Post Up stats are among their most efficient as they score at a rate ff almost 1 PPP. Carter has an adjusted FG % of 61%. Cacock's ability to defend without fouling is obviously important. I do not believe that outside of Defensive Rebounding he has done enough to merit a selection as a member of the ALL DEFENSIVE TEAM. I suspect that Delaware/Carter will go hard at him early.

2. PICK & ROLL DEFENSE. Passes going to the Pick & Roll Man (Roll guy) are extremely efficient translating to almost 1.2 PPP. However, the number of possessions is small since most teams so far have prioritized the roll man. Pick & Roll Handler is less efficient but when ANDERSON is the one attacking he has scored nearly 1 point on all possessions. Since he is the primary ball handler, and a suitable backup is absent, he should be a point of emphasis in game planning.

3.CUTTING. Most troublesome, and mark my words, the Nationally ranked 8th team in this category will cause problems for the Hawks. As far as I have seen so far the only team to present any challenge to UNCW in terms of off ball cutting has been Davidson and they did not fare well in terms of keeping that team to a low point total. I am not talking about cuts where the receiver just makes a layup but rather cuts where the defense helps on the cut freeing up another player who gets open as a result. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Hawks are one of the worst teams in terms of off ball defensive IQ.

4. POTENT OFFENSE BUT BELOW AVERAGE DEFENSE. As they say, "Ball Don't Lie." Well neither do defensive stats. The Hens rank near the bottom of the NCAA as a team (#294 to UNCW's #331 as of today). To put it in layman's terms, 'They cannot defend the Post, defend in transition or any DHO (Dribble Hand Off). The only thing worse according to SYNERGY is their defense versus the Pick & Roll Handler. This means TOEWS. If he is aggressive and looking to score IF Delaware decides to stay with shooters instead of help, which I suspect will be the norm from here on, then he will have a lot of opportunity to prove he can finish or get to the FTL (Free Throw Line). He is almost a 80% FT guy.

5. TRASK. These guys have been on the road. The last time they were at home there were no students. They have momentum. Delaware knows this is a 'prove it to the non-believers' kind of game. As far as big games go this early in the Conference schedule this is HUGE! Big for the Hens but absolutely HUGE for the home team. The season certainly does not depend on this game, however, I can imagine that a win at home will do enough to repair the confidence loss this team suffered in the Non-Conference schedule and restore a little 'swag' to UNCW Basketball going forward.

Personally, it is my hope that everybody gets behind this team for this game because that's what true fans do. Especially considering we have seen a very abrupt change in the 'tone' of posts on this Discussion Board going from 'Doom & Gloom' to 'Let's All Drink the Kool-Aid' in the last 3 weeks.

WINNING CURES EVERYTHING

Go Hawks!

Awesome, awesome stuff. Please post analyses like these for every game. They make mine look like kids stuff, haha.

Could an uptick in our utilization of zone defense be a good counter to their strengths in cutting and pick 'n' roll, as well as keeping Cacok out of foul trouble due to the Carter effect? 82Hawk, your time to shine perhaps?

1. CARTER IS THE KEY. (Which means Cacock is also the key). Team Post Up stats are among their most efficient as they score at a rate ff almost 1 PPP. Carter has an adjusted FG % of 61%. Cacock's ability to defend without fouling is obviously important. I do not believe that outside of Defensive Rebounding he has done enough to merit a selection as a member of the ALL DEFENSIVE TEAM. I suspect that Delaware/Carter will go hard at him early.

2. PICK & ROLL DEFENSE. Passes going to the Pick & Roll Man (Roll guy) are extremely efficient translating to almost 1.2 PPP. However, the number of possessions is small since most teams so far have prioritized the roll man. Pick & Roll Handler is less efficient but when ANDERSON is the one attacking he has scored nearly 1 point on all possessions. Since he is the primary ball handler, and a suitable backup is absent, he should be a point of emphasis in game planning.

3.CUTTING. Most troublesome, and mark my words, the Nationally ranked 8th team in this category will cause problems for the Hawks. As far as I have seen so far the only team to present any challenge to UNCW in terms of off ball cutting has been Davidson and they did not fare well in terms of keeping that team to a low point total. I am not talking about cuts where the receiver just makes a layup but rather cuts where the defense helps on the cut freeing up another player who gets open as a result. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Hawks are one of the worst teams in terms of off ball defensive IQ.

4. POTENT OFFENSE BUT BELOW AVERAGE DEFENSE. As they say, "Ball Don't Lie." Well neither do defensive stats. The Hens rank near the bottom of the NCAA as a team (#294 to UNCW's #331 as of today). To put it in layman's terms, 'They cannot defend the Post, defend in transition or any DHO (Dribble Hand Off). The only thing worse according to SYNERGY is their defense versus the Pick & Roll Handler. This means TOEWS. If he is aggressive and looking to score IF Delaware decides to stay with shooters instead of help, which I suspect will be the norm from here on, then he will have a lot of opportunity to prove he can finish or get to the FTL (Free Throw Line). He is almost a 80% FT guy.

5. TRASK. These guys have been on the road. The last time they were at home there were no students. They have momentum. Delaware knows this is a 'prove it to the non-believers' kind of game. As far as big games go this early in the Conference schedule this is HUGE! Big for the Hens but absolutely HUGE for the home team. The season certainly does not depend on this game, however, I can imagine that a win at home will do enough to repair the confidence loss this team suffered in the Non-Conference schedule and restore a little 'swag' to UNCW Basketball going forward.

Personally, it is my hope that everybody gets behind this team for this game because that's what true fans do. Especially considering we have seen a very abrupt change in the 'tone' of posts on this Discussion Board going from 'Doom & Gloom' to 'Let's All Drink the Kool-Aid' in the last 3 weeks.

WINNING CURES EVERYTHING

Go Hawks!

Awesome, awesome stuff. Please post analyses like these for every game. They make mine look like kids stuff, haha.

Could an uptick in our utilization of zone defense be a good counter to their strengths in cutting and pick 'n' roll, as well as keeping Cacok out of foul trouble due to the Carter effect? 82Hawk, your time to shine perhaps?

Thank you. Everybody has something to add to these discussions no matter the level of experience in the sport.

Delaware has played vs ZONE for 189 possessions this season scoring 160 points which means 0.8 PPP. This ranks their Zone Offense at #266 out of 351 teams compared to UNCW at #232 (More teams should play zone vs the Hawks because of their penchant to shoot outside and lack of 'gap drivers'.

UNCW should experiment with ZONE after time outs or start/end of quarters (ATO) to stop any offensive momentum and/or to just keep the other team off balance. Matchup Zone would be better but takes time and player IQ to run effectively.

Great stuff Hawking, and as always 08. Sounds like we'll be in for another high scoring affair, possibly another OT game as well. Our depth might actually be our biggest asset in this one. Who would've thought we'd be saying that 2 weeks ago...

(01-09-2019 09:11 AM)HAWKING Wrote: Delaware has played vs ZONE for 189 possessions this season scoring 160 points which means 0.8 PPP. This ranks their Zone Offense at #266 out of 351 teams compared to UNCW at #232 (More teams should play zone vs the Hawks because of their penchant to shoot outside and lack of 'gap drivers'.

UNCW should experiment with ZONE after time outs or start/end of quarters (ATO) to stop any offensive momentum and/or to just keep the other team off balance. Matchup Zone would be better but takes time and player IQ to run effectively.

Very interesting. Hopefully the coaching staff has access to information like this and can use it effectively.

Hawks don't need for somebody to see a "big rim" early like Allen. And, Devonte needs to body up and play tough 1 on 1 defense in the post. Refs respect straight up good play and he needs to do just that and not worry about fouling.

(01-09-2019 10:15 AM)billthebighawksfan Wrote: UNCW should open at -5 or so, if you care about things like that.

Hawks don't need for somebody to see a "big rim" early like Allen. And, Devonte needs to body up and play tough 1 on 1 defense in the post. Refs respect straight up good play and he needs to do just that and not worry about fouling.

Agreed. But he has been traumatized by his foul trouble this season and the effect it's had on his play time and the team's record subsequently. He has forgotten what it means to lock down. Watch him carefully this weekend vs Carter. I suspect he will play 'Matador' defense in the Post after his 1st foul. That's been the pattern all season.

(01-09-2019 10:18 AM)HAWKING Wrote: Agreed. But he has been traumatized by his foul trouble this season and the effect it's had on his play time and the team's record subsequently. He has forgotten what it means to lock down. Watch him carefully this weekend vs Carter. I suspect he will play 'Matador' defense in the Post after his 1st foul.

O'Connell will be crucial off the bench. He's the ideal guy to guard their 6-11 backup Center, but he's also someone we need to punch above his weight against Carter when Cacok is out.

(01-09-2019 10:18 AM)HAWKING Wrote: Agreed. But he has been traumatized by his foul trouble this season and the effect it's had on his play time and the team's record subsequently. He has forgotten what it means to lock down. Watch him carefully this weekend vs Carter. I suspect he will play 'Matador' defense in the Post after his 1st foul.

O'Connell will be crucial off the bench. He's the ideal guy to guard their 6-11 backup Center, but he's also someone we need to punch above his weight against Carter when Cacok is out.

I think O'Connell has done a pretty good job at this so far this season. I'd be interested to see his wingspan. I feel like when he puts his arms straight up, he's tough to score over. If he can stay in front of Carter, he should at least be able to make him work for it.

(01-09-2019 10:44 AM)SEA33HAWK Wrote: Having a hard time figuring Delaware out. They may be turning things around by beating NU. But losing to Hofstra by 46 and to a one win Delaware State is a head scratcher.

Defense and lack of depth are the biggest reasons there.

Games can go from bad to worse very quickly if the opposing offense is dominating. Plus, when that happens, you're likely to start to get into foul trouble. And since they don't have a good enough "B unit", it snowballs.

When Delaware is clicking and playing "just good enough" defense, they look great. But when they look bad, they look real bad.

They're not dissimilar to us. We lost by 46 to Furman because of defense, turnovers, and not having Gadsden. It's why other CAA fans don't really know what to make of us just yet.

(01-09-2019 10:44 AM)SEA33HAWK Wrote: Having a hard time figuring Delaware out. They may be turning things around by beating NU. But losing to Hofstra by 46 and to a one win Delaware State is a head scratcher.

It's why other CAA fans don't really know what to make of us just yet.

(01-09-2019 10:44 AM)SEA33HAWK Wrote: Having a hard time figuring Delaware out. They may be turning things around by beating NU. But losing to Hofstra by 46 and to a one win Delaware State is a head scratcher.

It's why other CAA fans don't really know what to make of us just yet.

Hell, We don't know what to make of us just yet!

I know about us Don't know anything about them. I can see our improvement. Just wonder how consistent they are. Or not.

(01-09-2019 10:44 AM)SEA33HAWK Wrote: Having a hard time figuring Delaware out. They may be turning things around by beating NU. But losing to Hofstra by 46 and to a one win Delaware State is a head scratcher.

It's why other CAA fans don't really know what to make of us just yet.

Hell, We don't know what to make of us just yet!

I know about us Don't know anything about them. I can see our improvement. Just wonder how consistent they are. Or not.

I get the questions about them, but, we have certainly shown our share of inconsistencies too

(01-09-2019 10:44 AM)SEA33HAWK Wrote: Having a hard time figuring Delaware out. They may be turning things around by beating NU. But losing to Hofstra by 46 and to a one win Delaware State is a head scratcher.

It's why other CAA fans don't really know what to make of us just yet.

Hell, We don't know what to make of us just yet!

I know about us Don't know anything about them. I can see our improvement. Just wonder how consistent they are. Or not.

I get the questions about them, but, we have certainly shown our share of inconsistencies too